Asingan town targets festival world record

KANKANEN FESTIVAL. Residents and visitors share the Inkiwar (sticky rice delicacy) during the Kankanen Festival on Friday (June 3). Each barangay and other stakeholders brought their own version of Inkiwar. (Photo courtesy of Liwayway Yparraguirre)

By Hilda Austria

ASINGAN, Pangasinan – The municipal government of Asingan is aiming for the longest sticky rice cake delicacy on the Guinness Book of World Records when they hold the Kankanen Festival next year.
    In an interview on Friday, Mayor Carlos Lopez Jr. said they have been planning to set a world record but this was interrupted by the pandemic.
    “We were aiming for a one-kilometer long of our sticky rice or glutinous rice delicacy inkiwar among other kankanen (sticky rice delicacies), which is very popular in our town. We plan to set up the world record attempt at the Ramos Bridge, probably next year if the restrictions on the pandemic would already allow us to do it,” he said.
    Lopez said the attempt would not only put the town on the global map but also promote its products and honor former president Fidel V. Ramos, who hails from the town.
    “This bridge, named after President Ramos, connects our town and Sta. Maria town,” he said, adding that the inkiwar describes the behavior of their town having the unity of the people and the source of their main agricultural products, which are the farmlands.
    Lopez assured that their farmers would be able to produce the needed amount of glutinous rice for the world record attempt.
    In a separate interview, municipal tourism officer Michael Soliven said varieties of glutinous rice are being planted by farmers in the town for the native rice cake delicacies.
    “Some 100 square meters for every hectare of land are being allotted for the planting of varieties of glutinous rice,” he said.
    The town celebrated anew the Kankanen Festival on Friday after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Soliven said each of the 21 barangays, as well as other stakeholders, brought their own version of inkiwar, totaling 216 extra-large bilao that were later on consumed by residents and festival visitors.
    “We have a job fair, bike tourism, dog show, mobile blood donation, basketball exhibition games, battle of the bands, car show, and a pageant,” he said.
    The Kankanen Festival was launched in 2011 but was stopped due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
"Kankanen” is a Pangasinan word that means native rice delicacies or sweet products made of sticky rice, such as "biko" and "suman".
    Residents of Asingan are mostly into agriculture, especially rice planting. -- PNA